FIGS. 15A and 15B are plan views schematically illustrating a loader which is adapted to automatically insert an IC card as a recording medium 7 into a recorder or player apparatus (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. HEI7-244711 (1995)).
It is herein assumed that the recording medium 7 is inserted toward the front side and withdrawn toward the rear side.
The recording medium 7 includes a first connector 71 provided on a front edge thereof. The apparatus includes a second connector 2 provided on a front edge of a chassis 1 thereof for engagement with the first connector 71.
A main tray 8 and an auxiliary tray 81 are provided in association with the chassis 1, and the auxiliary tray 81 is slidable on the main tray 8. Short shafts 82 project from a rear edge portion of the main tray 8 in engagement with elongate openings 83 formed in the auxiliary tray 81.
Claws 84, 84 are provided adjacent to a rear edge of the auxiliary tray 81 in a pivotal manner. The main tray 8 is eccentrically coupled to a driving gear 40 on the chassis 1 via a link 48 so as to be moved back and forth by rotation of the driving gear 40.
As shown in FIG. 15A, when the recording medium 7 is loaded onto the main tray 8 and the auxiliary tray 81 at an eject position, the driving gear 40 is rotated to advance the main tray 8. When the short shafts 82 of the main tray 8 abut against front ends of the elongate openings 83 of the auxiliary tray 81, the auxiliary tray 81 is also advanced.
Before the first connector 71 of the recording medium 7 is brought into engagement with the second connector 2 provided on the chassis 1, the claws 84, 84 provided adjacent to the rear edge of the auxiliary tray 81 are inwardly pivoted in abutment against cams 10 provided at rear ends of the chassis 1 thereby to be engaged with a rear edge of the recording medium 7 (FIG. 15B).
With the claws 84, 84 thus engaged with the rear edge of the recording medium 7 for prevention of rearward movement of the recording medium 7 on the trays 8, 81, the trays 8, 81 are advanced. Thus, the first connector 71 of the recording medium 7 and the second connector 8 of the chassis 1 can assuredly be engaged with each other, even if a great engagement resistance occurs between the first and second connectors 71 and 8.
However, the conventional apparatus has the following drawbacks.    1. In the aforesaid recording medium loading operation, the recording medium 7 is loaded onto the trays 8, 81, and then the main tray 8 is advanced to completely take the recording medium 7 into a cabinet of the recorder or player apparatus. Thereafter, the auxiliary tray 81 is advanced to pivot the claws 84, 84 for the prevention of the rearward movement of the recording medium 7. Then, the trays 8, 81 are further advanced, whereby the connectors 71 and 2 are brought into engagement with each other.
Therefore, the stroke of the main tray 8 includes a stroke required for completely take the recording medium 7 into the cabinet (not shown) of the recorder or player apparatus as well as a stroke required for pivoting the claws 84 and a stroke required for engaging the connectors 71 and 2 with each other. Thus, the total stroke of the main tray 8 is increased, so that the loader has a greater length as measured in a tray advancing direction. This makes it impossible to reduce the length of the loader to smaller than the length of the recording medium 7.    2. Since the cams 10 for pivoting the claws 84 are located adjacent to the rear edge of the loader, it is impossible to implement the loader in a recorder or player apparatus which is adapted to use the recording medium 7 in such a state that a rear portion of the recording medium 7 projects out of the loader.    3. Since the main tray 8 and the auxiliary tray 81 are employed in combination, a greater number of components and a greater labor are required for the assembly of the apparatus.
The present invention is directed to a recording medium loader which is free from the aforesaid drawbacks.